Introduction
Located at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a large forest dynamics plot. This plot is a part of the Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO), a worldwide initiative established from the global networking of scientists and forest research sites. With the dedication of these people and the information coming from these sites, long-term studies of the world’s forest can be achieved.
In 1974, the Smithsonian purchased a piece of land, known as the Remount Depot. Shortly after the purchase, the land became the Conservation Research Center. The Front Royal site of the National Zoological Park is ~1,296 hectares (3,500 acres) and combined with research and academic facilities, forestry, pastures, and animal enclosures (ASK ERIKA OR KRISTA HOW TO CITE THE CULTURAL RESOUCE ASSESSMENT - Ayers et al. 2007).
Physical Environment
Geographic location
The dynamic plot, first established in 2008 by @bourg_initial_2013, is located at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Virginia, U.S.A. (38 degrees 53’36.6“N, 78 degrees 08’43.4”W). Elevations range from 273 to 338 meters above sea level (masl) [@gonzalezakre_patterns_2016], with a topographic relief of 65m [@bourg_initial_2013].
Map of SCBI site relative to regional topography. Elevation labels in the grid are in masl.
The SCBI site is within a region encompassing the northern section of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is a continuation of the Appalachian Mountain range. Shenandoah National Park (elevation range ~171 to ~1,234 masl) [@noauthor_park_nodate] lies directly to the southwest while smaller hills (of which the site is comprised) extend to the northwest. To the east of the site, the smaller hills give way to the lower Piedmont region, while in the west, they give way to the Shenandoah Valley under the Massanutten Mountains. Because part of the site is situated within a small valley and most storms approach from the west and southwest, the site is relatively sheltered.
Potential data to include: - NEON has topography, depth to water table, etc.
Climate
The forest type across the 25.6-ha plot is homogeneously broadleaf, cold deciduous, with a mean annual temperature of 12.9 degrees C and a mean annual precipitation level of 1001 mm [@andersonteixeira_ctfs-forestgeo:_2015]. According to the Koppen-Geiger biome classifcation, the plot falls within the Cfa zone, which is characterized as humid subtropical/midlatitude with significant precipitation year-round (@andersonteixeira_ctfs-forestgeo:_2015). Primary disturbances at the SCBI site are natural and consist of wind and ice storms.
Potential data to include: - SCBI weather tower - NEON - other (external) products here
Soils
Potential data to include: - Data collected by Ben Turner - NEON data
Hydrology?
Potential data to include: - NEON has relevant data (Posey STREON site)
Species Information
Adoxaceae
Sambucus canadensis var. canadensis (L.) R. Bolli
Common Elderberry
Shrub with white flowers, green opposite compound leaves, and deep violet to blackish fruit. Leaflets are serrate, with 1cm petiolule and 3-10cm petioles.
Leaf traits (written about or scanned and labeled)
description
Common elderberry is common throughout most of the United States, all of Central America, and coastal parts of South America such as Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.
Picture of tree cores (with a small blurb)
Viburnum acerifolium L. Mapleleaf Viburnum
1-2m shrub with off-white flowers, green leaves, and purplish-black fruit. Leaves are dentate with 1-4cm petioles. Leaf traits (written about or scanned and labeled)
description
Mapleleaf viburnum is native to eastern North America.
Picture of tree cores (with a small blurb)
Viburnum prunifolium L. Black Haw
Varying in size from shrub to 8m, the woody plant has serrate leaves. Depending on the time of year, leaves can differentiate from a dull green to reddish-green to bright red. This species has flowers that are white and fruits that vary in color.
Leaf traits (written about or scanned and labeled)
description
description
Picture of tree cores (with a small blurb)
Viburnum recognitum Fernald Southern Arrow-wood
Viburnum recognitum, also known as Viburnum dentatum L., is a multi-stemmed shrub with white flowers, green leaves, and fruits resembling that of a blueberry (however, one of the relating species actually fruits cranberries.).
Leaf traits (written about or scanned and labeled)
description
description
Picture of tree cores (with a small blurb)
Carbon Cycling
Forests make up 45% of terrestrial carbon [@bonan_forests_2008; @stovall_assessing_2018]. The amount of carbon held in by trees can have a negative impact due to the emissions that are released into the air caused by deforestation. The rise in carbon emissions is attributed to the rise in tree mortality.
from core census– all of the following, for whole forest and by size/ species, potentially in and out of deer exclosure - biomass - write (or find?) code to make graph as this one in [@stovall_assessing_2018] 
- ANPP_stem (and potentially its climate sensitivity, from cores)
- woody mortality
- downed woody debris
other data - litter production? - anything from NEON?
Biotics Drivers of Change
Invasive Plants
(insert Caroline’s information here - should include description/life history, native range, range in US, spread in pot, and data from the Shenandoah paper)
Invasive Species and Pathogens
(expand on data found in Shenandoah paper)
Impact of Deer and Plant Ecology
(Bill’s section - include that the deer exclosure has also led to greater numbers of species)
Interspecies Competition
(could talk about how different species fight for available space, i.e. tree fall gaps)
Methods
This survey was conducted in the Center for Tropical Forest Science-Forest Global Earth Observatory’s (CTFS-ForestGEO) dynamic forest plot. The plot, itself, is located at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, USA. SCBI is 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) from the Shenandoah National Park and roughly 80 miles (~130 kilometers) from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.
The research was conducted by a team of interns under the labs of William McShea, Ph.D and Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, Ph.D. On average, 3.3 people/day participated in the census with 3.7 field days/week. A single person logged an average of 29 hours/week, resulting in 97 hours/week being done. Roughly 3,200 total amount of work hours - including data collection, review, entry, and analysis - was completed.
The survey team utilized methods set by the Center for Tropical Forest Science - Forest Global Earth Observatory, also known as CTFS-ForestGEO [@condit_tropical_1998; @gonzalezakre_patterns_2016]. Measurements of old, new multi-, and new plant stems are either measured or recruited at greater than or equal to 1 cm DBH [@bourg_initial_2013]. “Old stems” are considered to be stems that existed in the previous census. These measurements also include old multistemed species. “New multi stems” are new stems that have grown on the same woody species as the old stem. Once their information is recorded, each stem is given a different colored wire/combination of colored wires to signify which stem it is. “New plant stems” are the new growth of species that have not been tagged in the plot yet. “Tagging” is when a woody species is marked with a specific identification number. These numbers are compiled within a spread sheet and logged into the global CTFS database.
With the recruitment of new growth comes the acknowledgement of stem death. According to @gonzalezakre_patterns_2016, dead stems are considered to be dead due to the following criteria: (1) stems that are broken below DBH; (2) loosened or detached bark; (3) lack of development in regards to flower or leaf buds and; (4) signs of pests or pathogens such as fungus and insects.
Four hectares of the plot is located in a fenced in area designed to keep Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) from entering the environment [@ramage_sapling_2017]. This fencing is locally known as the ‘deer exclosure.’